(l-r centered) Rev.
Xavier Thompson; President, Baptist Ministers’ Conference L.A. and Danny Bakewell, Sr.; Executive
Publisher, Los Angeles Sentinel chant for Justice at the
March for Justice and Unity in Los Angeles.
Photo credit: Scott Mitchell Photography
(Los Angeles-February 21, 2015) The Black Leadership Coalition spearheaded by Los Angeles Executive
Publisher, Danny Bakewell, Sr. and
Baptist Ministers Conference L.A. President Reverend Xavier Thompson led the March for Justice and Unity today. The two-mile march began in
front of the Southwest Los Angeles Police Department on M.L. King Blvd. and
ended with a rally at Leimert Park on Crenshaw. Approximately a thousand
concerned community leaders and people participated in this well planned March
to protest police violence, brutality and racial profiling.
The family of Ezell Ford, a 25 year old man who was
described as mentally ill by family members, was fatally shot by LAPD officers
nearly four months ago and Jamar Nicholson, an unarmed15 year old was shot in
the back by a police officer this week.
Some of the participating leaders included, Congresswoman
Karen Bass, Council President Herb Wesson, Senator Isadore Hall, National Action
Network’s Rev. K.W. Tulloss & Rev. Jonathan Moseley, Urban League’s Nolan
Rollins, Brotherhood Crusade’s Charisse Bremond Weaver, Dr. Maulana Karenga,
Minister Tony Muhammad, along with several union leaders, churches, fraternities,
sororities, political clubs, community organizations, and the African-American
community.
SHOOT FIRST, LIE LATER is the LAPD policy. The whole fake gun vs. real gun debate is a smokescreen. THERE WAS NO GUN, fake or real, involved in the Jamar Nicholson tragedy. The LAPD is once again blowing smoke up our ass to deflect the focus and the blame from where it belongs - the LAPD.
ReplyDeleteThere was no fake gun. All the witnesses state: there was no gun, fake or otherwise; the cops never said "drop the weapon", they just yelled "freeze" a split second before shooting Jamar in the back. The LAPD planted a fake gun at the scene, then started immediately to deceive and cover-up their gross incompetence, using the LA Times to spread the hogwash about a "replica gun".
The only "replica gun" was the one in the trunk of the LAPD squad car that all cops carry in case they have to cover-up another shooting of an innocent unarmed black man. If there was really a fake gun, why was Jamar Nicholson handcuffed to the gurney as he was being treated at the hospital? Surely the police would have identified the gun as fake long before that. And do you really think a cop's aim is so horrendous that he can't hit a human target 20 feet away? If they truly saw a gun, they would have fired every bullet they had until the gunman, and every other kid with Jamar, was shot dead.
These police shootings of innocent blacks are only going to increase because no one is policing the police. They are roaming the streets unchecked, undisciplined, and unaccountable for their violent racist acts. No cops' life was in danger; no crime was being committed; the cops weren't provoked or threatened or endangered in any way whatsoever. They shot an innocent, unarmed kid in the back while he was on his way to school! Then they lied immediately and continuously afterwards to deceive the public. Enough is enough already!
Here are a few no-brainer solutions to the current epidemic of police abuse:
1. MANDATORY DRUG TESTING
Drug-test every trigger-happy cop immediately after he shoots someone. Unprovoked anger, hostility, fear, paranoia, violence, cowardice, itchy trigger-finger, terrible aim, persistent lying - these are the traits of a tweaker.
2. LIE-DETECTOR TESTING
A polygraph exam administered to every cop involved in any shooting, including Chief Beck and Spokesman Smith.
3. JOB TERMINATION
Any cop who shoots an unarmed victim needs to be fired immediately. Period. No more "Paid Suspension" or Administrative Leave, which is basically just rewarding a cop for his abuse by giving him a paid vacation.
4. CRIMINAL CHARGES
The cop who shot Jamar Nicholson should be charged and tried for attempted murder and thrown in jail where he belongs. Any investigation and prosecution must be conducted completely outside and independent of the LAPD and the District Attorneys office, since they are as corrupt and dishonest as the trigger-happy cop.
The Jamar Nicholson shooting is tragic on so many different levels that it's difficult to know where to begin. First, do not trust or believe ANYTHING that the police say or do. The Jamar Nicholson tragedy is proof that the police will say and do anything to cover their incompetent racist asses.
ReplyDeleteThey first reported that a "gunman was in custody after being shot justifiably by officer whose life was in danger". Then they have changed and altered their story over and over again to confuse the public and hide the truth.
What really happened? It appears more and more likely that Jamar actually was the intended target. There was no replica gun or real gun or fake gun - there was only a bottle of cologne in Jamar's hands. The cop, whose body was in danger of smelling pleasant for once, fired immediately at Jamar, hitting him exactly right where the heart would have been if Jamar had turned around quicker.
That cop shot directly at Jamar, and he shot to kill, missing the heart and spinal cord by inches. Had Jamar moved just a split second quicker, we would not be discussing this case right now, because he would be dead and the police would be saying they shot a man with a gun who was aiming at police (which is exactly what they first reported cuz they thought he was dead).
Since he wasn't dead and there were numerous witnesses, they planted fake gun at scene and revised their statements accordingly. If there were no witnesses, they would have planted a real gun next to Jamar, then made sure he was dead, then they would have reported that he shot at them before they opened fire, etc. etc. etc.
The only "Real gun vs. Fake gun" debate occurs when a cop shoots an unarmed victim and then needs to decide what gun to plant next to that victim. If there are witnesses or the victim isn't dead, they plant a fake gun. If no witnesses or victim dies, they plant real gun and say either he shot first, or he shot himself.
I wouldn't be surprised if hundreds of previous cases of "self-inflicted gunshot wounds" (after a vehicle chase, for instance) were actually cases of police shooting an unarmed man then planting a weapon on him after killing him.